Mountains of Labor
by For the Longest Time
Summary: The Golden Path has won. However, the civil war still drags on. As Amita pushes into the mountains to defeat the last remaining remnants of the Royal Guard, Ajay is forced to enlist their help and find Bhadra, while also reclaiming Kyrat from Amita's grasp. Ajmal, a Royal Guardsman, will stand by Ajay's side, along with Juno, the long-lost daughter of Yuma.


22+ Days after Pagan Min's exile

Ajmal 'Pious' Gazeed

They simply called him Ajmal. Known as pious in Kyrati, the young twenty-two year old member of the Royal Guard was one of the last ones remaining. Huddling next to a fire, his hands were freezing as his lungs drew in precious air. _Whoever's plan it is to hide up in the mountains for the longest fucking time needs to get shot. _

The Golden Path was launching fresh new offensives into the mountains, capturing village after village and killing more members of the Royal Guard. Most of the rebels were children. Ajmal shuddered as he remembered one battle against the Golden Path and hundreds of screaming children, the eldest no older than sixteen, charging towards them, indoctrinated in whatever hellish ideology the Golden Path taught them. And now they were pushing against the remnants of the sons of Kyrat into the mountains.

Fresh snow was falling once again and the few helicopters that the Royal Guard still operated had been grounded. With their backs against the wall it was only a matter of time before the last vestiges of Pagan Min's reign was destroyed. Every last member of the Royal Guard, from the lowest private to the highest ranking officer still left, knew their time was up. But they would continue to fight, because they knew if they surrendered, a much harsher fate awaited all of them.

"Why are we freezing our balls off while our officers are enjoying the warmth of tents?" his fellow soldier asked. Ajmal didn't know the man's name but they had been lumped together for more than one patrol around their base. His AK was always shivering in his hands and Ajmal never let it out of his sight. Three years of fighting the Golden Path meant always looking out for the shadows in the night, never trusting his own. _These bastards are making us run. And we can't even fight back! _

And all of this was Ajay Ghale's fault. The motherfucker who couldn't wait for some fucking _crab Rangoon! _But the fucker could fight and Ajmal could testify to how terrifying Ajay was. _And to think Pagan Min was grooming him to be his successor. _What a terrible irony this was. Just a few short months ago, the Golden Path was on the verge of defeat. Then Ajay Ghale strolls along, vitalizes the rebellion, and six months later, the Golden Path is on the doorsteps of the Royal Palace. _What a fucking twist. _

Ajmal had fought against Ajay in the south, when the man had attacked the bridge with a small unit of Golden Path rebels. He and the rest of the Royal Guard had defended the bridge against sporadic raids and attacks. But when Ajay had been released upon them, he was one of the few lucky assholes to get the fuck out of there. He remembered how the man easily waded in and out of gunfire, ducking behind cover, and killing at least two dozen Royal Guardsmen as if they were _nothing. _

"Because we're lowly infantrymen who will be fucking slaughtered once the Golden Path walks in. I don't like this base. We're right in the middle between the next village and the Golden Path. I know we're next. And we're not receiving any reinforcements because of some grand strategy? I barely carry three magazines because the quartermaster won't give me more. We're low on ammo and people. Because_ we're losing_. The officers want to forget that and pretend everything is fine. Which it isn't. Nothing is fine."

"I know what you mean. Why do we even fight? Oh wait, I remember. Because if we surrender, not only do we get slaughtered but our families as well. I don't know about you, but I don't want my daughter to become some slave to a random ass Golden Path officer," the other soldier confided in him, spitting to make his point about the Golden Path. The Golden Path was almost as bad as the Royal Army when it came to dealing with the locals.

"So how is the wife and kid doing?" Ajmal asked, wanting to get off the subject of impending doom. He wanted to focus on some happiness while it lasted. The mountain villages and towns were well-stocked and the few patches where farming and animals grazed was more than enough to feed the last remnants of the Royal Guard and the few thousand people still loyal to the 'true' Kingdom of Kyrat.

"My wife is fine. She's pregnant again. My mother says she is going to have a boy instead of a girl this time. I'm not excited. I'm still trying to figure out a way to get my family smuggled across the border into China. I have no need for my family to be caught up in the struggle."

_This struggle has taken the lives of tens of thousands of our people and is finally ending. The only thing is, we're on the losing side. _It also didn't help that they were most likely going to be _fucking _crucified by Amita and her goons as soon as they caught up with them.

"You know what I want to do before I die? Get stone fucking drunk. So I can forget about everything and anything that happens."

It seemed so peaceful that day. Snow falling slowly, the skies darkened by clouds, and the occasional ray of sunlight that broke through the barrier to shine upon them. And Ajmal knew that was when shit usually started.

And as soon as he thought that, gunfire picked up, volleys of assault rifles and machineguns breaking the morning gloom. _Shit. Here they come. Either it is the elite jackasses or worse...the children. Please don't send the children. _

A howl of screams greeted his ears as he readied his AK. His fellow guardsman raised his own assault rifle, a P416 that had seen better days. _No. Please...not the children. Anybody. _His wishes would be granted.

The howls came closer and he steadied himself. He had been in dozens of firefights and battles with these rebels. Despite them controlling nearly the entire country, he would think of them as rebels. _Maybe now I'm the rebel. _

A burst of gunfire and he saw a body drop from a rock outcrop that was serving as an observation post for the Royal Guard. The body was one not wearing the customized snow suits of the Royal Guard. It was a Golden Path rebel. His chest had been filled with lead from the observation post. _Sneaking up is going to work on us son!_

It was time to go to work.

_One more day of living and brooding. That seems fun. _

_Somewhere in Northern Kyrat_

_Ajay Ghale_

Ajay Ghale languished. He couldn't believe he sided with Amita! Children soldiers, drug trade, forced mining...this was Pagan all over again. But what else was he going to do? He had to deal with Sabal; that guy tried to force a teenage girl to be a God and he seemed like another religious fanatic. But Amita was different. She was cold and calculating. She would risk anything for power and what she claimed '_was for the future of Kyrat.' _Bullshit!

For days he had been trying to find Bhadra. Ajay had caught on to the implication that she had her killed. But he knew that some of the rebels would never agree to that. So she had to have her stashed away somewhere. Otherwise she would have another civil war on her hands.

She wouldn't stash Bhadra in the south. Banapur was too easy. The south was essentially Ajay's loyalists, having seen him free them from the Royal Army's grip. But he needed people he could _trust. _Someone who had no inclination to side with Amita. Despite the love and loyalty of the south, people were stupid and they were bribed easily. And they were _scared _of Amita.

So he thought of something stupid and brilliant. _Stupidly _brilliant his ex-girlfriend would say. God he missed the states. He would have returned, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay and fix Kyrat. To leave it in stable hands before he left. And as Pagan Min's heir, he would do that duty.

As he tugged on the hood of his jacket, his P416 dangling off his shoulder, he moved towards the sound of gunfire. He knew that his plan was a long-stretch, but he needed their help. _For Bhadra. For Kyrat. For the future. _

He hoped to Bhadra and God that the Royal Guard was in a forgiving mood.


End file.
